This invention relates to a method of making a label-equipped sheet and product and, more particularly, to a sheet or form wherein the label is diecut from base stock constituting the sheet and held in place by a pressure sensitive adhesive-equipped release liner until needed for use.
It has become increasingly desirable to provide sheets generally and business forms particularly of minimal thickness for ease in processing through computer printers, especially table top personal computers with associated printers. One approach to achieve this has been to diecut the form itself to provide a removable label. This art is well known for diecut labels generally in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,914,483 and 4,246,058 and for business forms in U.S. Pat. No. 4,379,573.
However, with the processing of sheets such as business forms through printers and the subsequent converting of the connected forms into a roll or a zig-zag pack, there arises the possibility of the release liner becoming detached. This exposes the pressure sensitive adhesive on the sheet with many undesirable consequences. The current trend of omitting adhesive along the edge of an attached member increases the possibility of undesirable detachment. Illustrative of this trend in the art is exemplified by U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,926,113; 4,526,405, 4,664,416 and 5,011,559. The drawbacks of the prior art are avoided by the invention.
According to the invention, the release liner is strongly adhered to the rear face of the wider label stock web along one longitudinal edge of the release liner. This is accomplished by providing the above-mentioned longitudinal edge free of release material----which is normally a silicone. This provides a band on the release liner where the adhesive between the liner and web can integrate the liner and web substantially permanently. When the web over the liner is perimetrically diecut to provide a label spaced slightly from the band, the label can be removed while the web and liner remain together. Thus, there is no exposed adhesive on the rear face to cause the label stock to undesirably adhere to some other surface or sheet.
It is known to provide a wider label stock web and diecutting it over a narrower release liner----as set forth as prior art in U.S. Pat. No. 4,627,994. However, the release liner did not have a longitudinally-extending edge band lacking the release coating----so it could not achieve the strong bond to the label stock web. From there, the art workers went away from the idea of a silicone free band. Instead, they went to separately attached webs as in the invention of the '994 patent and subsequent U.S. Pat. No. 4,696,843 and co-owned Pat. Nos. 4,865,669 and 5,006,191.
The invention also affords other advantages. For example, the invention makes easier the removal of the label from the label stock web. This is achieved by removing a longitudinally extending strip of liner which advantageously can be located adjacent the other longitudinal edge of the liner from edge that is equipped with the aforementioned band.
The details of the inventive method and construction can be seen in the ensuing specification.